Indianapolis Monumental Marathon - Race Reviews

I came to this race based on the fast times people in my running group had run at this course and I was not disappointed. I ended up getting a 10 second PR so mission accomplished there. The race itself has a lot going for itself. First off, the packet pickup was very easy. It was at the Convention Center which is right across from where the race would start. A really cool part of the expo was the fact that Olympic Gold Medalist in the 1500 meter Cole Hocker was there. I got a picture with him after his talk and I got a picture with him at the finish line the next day too with my race medal. The race hotels are almost all right by the start/finish line too which is very convenient. Race morning was alright. They needed some more bathrooms at the start, but the Convention Center was open to stay warm right up until race time which was great. I dropped my bag and walked a short distance to the start line. The race start was just ok. They definitely need to break up the runners in to more corrals. For example, Corral A was runners under 3:10 I think. That was way too many people. I ran a 2:49 which means people 20 minutes slower are in the same area. Also, the streets were too narrow for that many people running out that fast. I almost got knocked over twice in the first mile, and there were lots of turns early in the race with a crowded area to run in. That desperately needs to be fixed. The course itself was alright. It had better crowd support than Toledo and Carmel, but definitely not better than Columbus (at least for the first half there). There were way too many turns the first 6-8 miles, but after that, there were a lot of straight roads. The biggest issue was the amount of potholes and cracks everywhere. I felt like there was never a time I could look up because I might twist my ankle. The roads were one of the worst I have run in and this was my 29th marathon. My only other comment about the course was there is kind of a dead spot of fans where you really need them from mile 20-24. The finish was back downtown again and it was nice but nothing great. The finish line area was a little more congested and crowded than other races I have attended. The race medal was a quality medal and they give you a winter hat at the finish as well which is cool. There was also some nice gear available at the finish line but most of the runner sizes were not available. Overall this race gets a big thumbs up. At the end of the day, the most important thing is having a flat and fast course and this definitely has that. It is also part of the Abbott World Marathon Age Group qualifiers. Sadly I missed getting my time by 92 seconds. Overall, a quality race.

This was state number 40 and I was most pleased with this race! To start, logistics are easy with plenty of motels near the race area. There is no need to rent a car. I stayed at the Sheraton City Center which was within a short walking distance to the start/finish line, expo and many restaurants. The expo was a good size and since it was after Halloween, many vendors had candy at their booths! Bib pick up was well organized. The only down piece was the quality of the race tech shirt that was given out. It was so cheap that you could see right through it! The course is mostly flat and had way more crowd support than I expected. I enjoyed running past the city landmarks and through neighborhoods where folks were giving out drinks and more candy! The one draw back was a number of roads that had pot holes and cracks. The course is almost entirely on asphalt which I like over concrete. Plenty of aid stations and 3 Gu stops, which is unusual. One aid stop ran out of cups and folks were drinking from the same water pitcher, not very sanitary! The finish area was well organized and they gave you a knit cap as well as a bag to carry food items. I will note they gave you water in a can which tasted awful! The pizza was being restocked when I finished so I did not wait for it. Results were quickly available and the medal was nice, gold color for marathoners and silver for the half. There were plenty of places to see/visit in Indianapolis, even an NFL game the next day! I ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory, St Elmo's, Yard House and Shapiro's Deli. All excellent! Great ice cream at the Chocolate Cafe! I highly recommend this fun race and would do it again!

Great race-need more bathrooms available before start of race. Beginning and end of race very congested! Spectators need to not be in or around corrals because runners cannot get in corrals. Also, at the end of race runners cannot get out of the chute because spectators are blocking trying to get in. Need more organization.

The congestion at the start was dangerous. I was nearly knocked down twice in the first mile. I had to come to a complete stop two other times. I've run the race several times before, but this year was probably my last. The course is good. The fans are good (much of the time). The swag is good. But they desperately need to get the start under control, before people get knocked down and trampled.

It's been severals years since I've ran Monumental, but this time the poor quality of the road surfaces really stood out to me; lots of cracks, fissures, holes, you name it. I'd rather focus on just running, or enjoying the scenery, than constantly looking at the road trying to find a smoother line. Aid stations seemed more difficult too, another first for me. It would be nice if they had a person 50-100 m in front of the aid stations shouting 'aid station/water just ahead,' or have the pacers shout it. They also could have spaced the tables out a little more. You know how most people want to get their drink from the first table and that's really where the congestion is, so I like to go toward the end of the aid station. Well, a couple times I missed a drink because the aid station was so compressed with maybe only 2 tables. To be fair, these are minor criticisms and neither one impeded my performance, but they were notable vis-a-vis all the other marathons I've ran. One the positive side, the crowd support was exceptional.

Indianapolis marathon B overall grade lots of turns at start and lousy roads, otherwise beautiful fast course, good aid stations and volunteers. Nice shirt and medals. City has really cleaned up since last visit 8 years ago. Recommend as an alternative to Chicago. Easy to spectate for family friends. Nice job indy.

I've run Monumental seven times now and it's a favorite. You get the 'big time marathon' feel without the big city traffic or hassles. Indy is very easy to get around...I booked a parking spot in an underground lot just 100m from the finish line and only 300m from the start corrals. Flat course with usually cool weather. A winner.

Pros: -Downtown Indy is very walkable. Everything you need is right there in the downtown area and there is no need for a rental car. There are many hotels that are super close to the start and finish, and there are tons of restaurants downtown to eat at. (There's also a Whole Foods downtown that we swung by for some grubbage.) -The Colts were in town and playing on Thursday night...we had a great time watching the game at Lucas Oil Stadium during our time in Indy! -The expo is also downtown, and very close to the hotels. It was an easy walk to get to the convention center, and once inside the wide variety of vendors was great. -Start line organization was very well done. Bag drop-off and starting corrals were easy as pie. -Course aid stations were well manned and well stocked. -Between miles 19-21 they had trivia questions and answers posted on signs on the side of the course. This was a really helpful distraction, and was also a cool way to learn some fun Indiana trivia. -Weather was perfect for the race. After I finished it was really nice to grab a slice of pizza and sit in the sun on the grass of the capital grounds and enjoy the race-day atmosphere as others finished their race. Cons: -There were plenty of intersections on the course that did not have anyone directing traffic. It always makes me nervous when cars try to navigate through runners without anybody there to direct them. -There were a couple spots on the course where traffic was right next to the runners. It would have been better if they had closed down an additional lane to provide a buffer. -The race t-shirt was really ugly. I won't ever wear it, but fortunately they had a good selection of race apparel at the expo, so I was able to get a shirt that I'll actually wear. One final comment is that I wonder why they can't have the start of the race at Monument Circle? Starting at the capital is nice, but Indy is known for Monument Circle and that is it's most famous landmark. I always buy a start-line picture of the marathons that I run, and having a sea of 15,000 people lined-up on Meridian St with the monument in the background would make for a very memorable picture indeed. Just a thought... Overall the Indianapolis Marathon is a race worth doing, and there's plenty to see and do in Indy to make a long weekend out of it. You won't be disappointed.

I highly recommend this marathon for a variety of reasons: Course Very flat overall and much of the course is quite scenic. I enjoyed how it doesn't duplicate any terrain. This aspect alone sets it apart from the vast majority of marathons. My total distance ended up being about 0.6 mile too long. Congestion during the first 3 miles caused about half of my overall "overage". Recommendation: If you're serious about achieving a certain time, get in your corral early and make sure that you're at the front of your "wave". It's quite congested at the start but this is the case for any large marathon. Weather Couldn't have been any better! The race is at the perfect time of the year. It was 30 degrees at the start and around 47 degrees at the finish. Organization They clearly have a seasoned team running this event. I had no issues except I couldn't find my pace group. Apparently, my pace group leader arrived late or didn't hold up the sign like all of the other pace groups. Crowd Support While its certainly not Chicago or NYC, crowd support was good and there were a lot of fun/festive spots along the course. Destination Indianapolis is an underrated city. Its clean and has a lot of good restaurants. The core downtown area is very walkable. In summary, I hope to participate again. Kudos to the city for putting on a fantastic event!

This was my 59th marathon.I don't care about medals, crowds,expo or shirts, only ORGANIZATION on the course. I'm a midpacker, so it was surprising to hear they were out of Gatorade at the 10 mile and following aid station. A race this large needs more portos on the course. Having only 3 available every 2ish miles had many folks waiting, I waited over 5 minutes to use one around mile 15. Otherwise, this was a perfectly adequate race, but not one I would run again.

This was my ninth marathon and the first one I ran with my wife and oldest daughter. It has been the most exciting to be able to share with them. Enjoy the race a lot. Although it is not very large

This was my 31st marathon in my 22nd state. I found the course to be mostly flat; the few hills were more grades than actual hills. However, with a 28 degree, 20 degree wind chill at the start and not much warmer at the finish, it was chilly. I dressed right, so I was comfortable throughout, but the headwind in the second half was tough. I hit my BQ by 40 seconds, but it was a struggle. The start was clogged, but it helped keep me warm, so it was a mixed bag. Too many slow runners snuck into the first 2 corrals, so some enforcement could help. The road surface wasn't great for many areas in the race. The course seemed to hit most of the better parts of town, and I don't recall running through any seedy areas, but I wouldn't exactly call Indianapolis scenic. I can't remember a race with as many water/Gatorade stops, and the volunteers were great, as most knew to balance the cups on their hands so I didn't have any mishaps like at so many races where volunteers wind up either holding onto the cups or dropping them on me, which would have been pretty cold this day. The shirt was a reasonably attractive short sleeve tech shirt. I paid extra for a fleece-lined quarter zip pullover, which is wonderful. I'll really enjoy it if I can get it back from my wife. The medal was okay; nothing enormous, but not exactly cheap either. I stayed at the Hampton Inn about a 1/2 mile from the start, so I can't comment on bag drop or the facilities, although I seem to remember a good number of port-o-lets both at the start and along the course. There was minimal crowd support, but it was frigid out, so I don't think that I would have been out either. I frankly don't pay attention to the crowds or lack thereof, so I'm not one to ask. There were abundant volunteers at every water stop, so there was no risk of blowing a water stop and ending up thirsty. The course was well marked, and I never worried about getting lost, although I was out there with my 5,000 closest friends for the day, so little chance of that. Merging with the half-marathoners for the last mile or two was a bummer, but most were considerate. I only had to yell at one or two. I didn't hang around at the finish, leaving through the first exit I could find due to the cold, so I can't speak to post-race food or anything besides water and Gatorade. Overall, this was an above average big-city marathon that was certainly smaller and more convenient than Boston, New York, or LA, even if it lacked the cache of those races, but it wasn't Twin Cities or Marine Corps either.

One of top 20 largest marathons in the US. Expect good organization and it was delivered. Additionally the course was flat there were other PR seekers to run with. Spectators only get 3 stars for not being out in upper 20s to lower 30s temperatures. Don't blame em.

It was freezing and the wind made it too cold for me. Besides that a very fine race. There was some crowd support but not overwhelming like Chicago, London, Pittsburgh or Tokyo. But good enough for me. The course seemed fast to me, clearly marked & great drink stations with great volunteers. Only the last miles together with the half marathoners was a bit difficult. Small part for the marathon runners on the bad side of the road. The start, finish and expo is within 500 meters downtown and there a plenty of hotels around. Besides that enough restaurants, museums, sights (capitol, memorials) & shops. I did receive 2 running shirts, long sleeve by mail and short sleeve at the expo.

This is a good course very flat and pretty. However, there is no crowd support what so ever. Plus they way they handle the corals is very poorly done. The medal is cheap for a race of its size and popularity. So if your looking for a bare bones race with the basics and little crowd support this is the race for you. If your looking for a PR or a boston qualifier this is the one for you. If your looking for both scenery...crowd support and lots of excitement in the race expierence then this race falls short.

This was my 1st Monumental. I ran the Half along with my wife & son (it was his 1st half). We all loved the race and will be doing it again! Great course, swag, volunteers, and organization! Everyone was very accommodating!

Very well organized race, with a fairly flat, fast course. Lots of well stocked aid stations, I missed the first one due to the early congestion. Wave starts were a nice plan, but I didn't see anyone checking bibs or enforcing it. Luckily it seemed fairly well self policed, I only noticed two or three people that probably started farther forward than they really should have. Some stretches of the course shared the road with vehicles, they seemed more aware/courteous than most Saturday morning long run traffic. I agree with some of the previous year's reviews of some rough spots in the road, but since we usually had at least a full lane to run in, they were avoidable. Perfect weather this year, minus the mostly headwind for the majority of the 2nd half. Very well organized finish area with good post race food (pizza, chocolate milk and cookies - check, check and check, and bananas naturally). Expo was about what you would expect for this size race, crowd/community support was pretty good, but not present for all 26.2 if that's something you need.

Ok so this race the course is awesome. scenic and flat. However the thing that would take this to another level would to be to have much better crowd support for this race. There was nobody out supporting their towns marathon.So if you rely on crowd support you wont get it in indy. The food was decent but modest. The gatorade looked brown might want to fix that...They ran out of bananas and oranges during the race so those that were in the later hours of th race 5+hour marathoners didnt have that option. The medal was pretty cheesy and cheap for a race of this size. Put some weight to that medal we definitely earned it. So the question is would I run this race again...I would say maybe if other big races were all ready sold out...its late in the fall racing season and has to compete in November with Philly and New York...not to mention most people look at October as prime month for fall marathons. I would say it isnt a destination marathon but it could be. Granted it did sell out but I would look at races like Chicago, Twin Cities, Detroit and Columbus in the midwest before I signed up for indy for a second time. By far the worst crowd support I have have had during a race. Those that were out there were pretty quiet...as it was...

Great run thru Indy! Flat course, perfect running weather in 2018. Adequate aid stations and a lot of fan support. Nice expo and post-race. My 3rd time to run Indy and I may do a 4th!

Fast, flat course with beautiful Fall colors. Great conditions. Well organized. Fantastic opportunity to PR or BQ.

I've done 25+ marathons and have to say this was the best one yet. Indy does a great job hosting. President Trump was in town so I was expecting some race day inconveniences- the race went off without a hitch.

The expo was decent size with some good deals and a variety of vendors. Packet pickup a breeze. My only issue and this applies in general to downtown Indy, the parking! Limited and pricey. If you are coming from out of town, save yourself the headache and just uber from the airport and stay near the start/finish. I drove in from the burbs and pre-booked a spot on spothero. Easily pulled in and parked at 7 am and then walked about 10 mins to the start area. The starting corrals were a bit of a mess and I don't think anyone was enforcing (checking bibs). I was in wave 5 and put myself at the start of that wave....not sure why I was there because my estimated finish when I registered was 5:15 and the 5:30 pacer was in wave 4! So, for the first 3 miles I was dodging people walking 3 across, and the crowding didn't really let up until after the half marathoners split off. Oh and BTW, what the heck with the conditions of the roads? I thought DC had horrible pot holes! Really had to watch it in some spots. I saw one person go down face first and get a bloody nose. The water stops were well organized and stocked and it was easy to see where it was water vs. gatorade. They should have had more porta pottys along the course, especially the first half. It was great that they were at each aid station, but how about 3 or 4 instead of 2? Each one had a line about 10 people deep until finially at the half way point I had to just suck it up and wait in line....lost about 5 mins there. Later ones didn't have a line or if they did it was much shorter..... Finish area was well organized and I loved that the free pizza was inside the tent in case of bad weather. Medal is gorgeous! Also appreciated that the local Y let runners shower for free. A big help and I am sure the people on my evening flight home appreciated it too! I would go back and run again, but since I am doing the states, I will do the half next time.

I had a great experience at the 2018 Monumental Marathon. The best part for me was the course. I wanted a course with enough turns to add variety and a flat fast course but not so pancake flat that the grade never changes. In that respect, the Indy course is awesome - a couple of long gradual grades but the reality is this is a PR course. My only complaint is beyond the control of the race organizers is the inevitable potholes and jacked up roads you would find anywhere in the midwest. Much of the course had fresh asphalt but for quite a few miles the roads were pretty rough. I'm not one to do a race for the expo or post race festivities but both were decent. Given the tri-state choices of Grand Rapids, Detroit or Columbus for a late October/early November marathon I wouldn't hesitate to sign up for Indy again.

So far, this is my favorite marathon - loved Indianapolis! Pros: Great course for a PR! The course is fairly flat, and you do pass some great sites. Packet pick-up was well organized (for the size of the race, there could have been more expo vendors). Each mile is clearly marked. Good amount of spectators cheering you on and great volunteer support. Cons: There are some very uneven road surfaces on the course. Even with a wave start, the first miles are very congested (added an extra .22 miles to my Garmin having to dodge around so many people). There were several cross roads where cars pulled out in front of the runners. *NEED MORE PORTA-POTTIES ALONG THE COURSE - There was always a line of people waiting to use them along the course :(

My fastest marathon to date. You get a great tour of the city with the course, which is almost entirely flat. Plus the time of year is pretty much perfect for fast racing, 40s-50s most years.

Generally a very good race with good organization. My only major complaint was an extremely congested starting area. Fortunately, I was still able to get into a decent pace quickly. A scenic course, particularly through the downtown sections. Very nice finish area near the capitol. Mostly flat course with a few not very steep hills. Great swag with a nice t-shirt, medal, and beanie and plenty of food, including chocolate milk. Very good race. After the race enjoy a cold one at either Bier Brewing or Metazoa Brewing Co.

Fast course with reliably great running weather. Great to roll out of the hotel 20 min prior to the start. Corral system needs to be enforced, but no other complaints. Love this race!

This race was 99% good. The best things were: the really flat course, the good separation of marathon & half (the halfers didn't get in my way), starting & finishing so close to hotels, the pasta dinner and the overall organization. The things that were just 'okay' were the crowd support, the number/distribution of porta-potties along the course and the look of the medal. The only real negatives were a lot of potholes on the course, running on a very slanted road most of the course and not very good traffic control (3 times I saw cars drive across the course with no traffic control - nearly hitting runners).

Great race, probably the best of my five. Attractive course pairing downtown Indianapolis's monuments with pleasant runs through old-money neighborhoods and parkland. Very flat with only a couple minor hills. PROS: Well-integrated logistics on booking hotel and parking. Easy to get in and out of downtown and race day and easy for family spectators to get to multiple points on course. Nice to have the convention center open before the race to stay warm before heading to the start line. Attractive, well-staffed course that one could set a PR or BQ on. Good spectator support downtown and in the neighborhoods. CON: Only complaint was the convention center could've easily opened more restrooms beforehand. Lines inside got very long in the hour before the start, though port-a-lets were available closer to the start line.

Overall very well organized - didnt find a hiccup with anything related to the race. They started right on time, well marked course with enthusiastic volunteers and folks along the way making sure you didn't miss a turn or even have to think about which way to go. More than ample aid stations that were well staffed and well stocked. Great job by the volunteers!! Great crowd support, bands, cheering sections etc. to help get you through the tough miles late in the race. Super well organized finish area with plenty of snacks, cookies, water, chocolate milk. Plenty of post race pizza and a nice tent to sit. Super easy getting around with everything right downtown I literally walked out of the Embassy Suites hotel and around the corner to the start, the finish was a block away and the expo just down the street. The hotel was super convenient and they were kind enough to let me back in my room to shower and change after. As you would expect with any large race there is a little congestion at the start. The only crazy part was where the marathon & 1/2 marathoners came together the last few miles. It definitely kept you on your toes as there was the need to dodge in and out in a few places. Traffic wasn't an issue and public safety officials had given thought to several key areas, blocking access with city busses, etc. Overall a great experience. Thanks to the race team for getting me off the waiting list and in to the race and thanks for doing it so quickly.

This race has grown quickly from positive word-of-mouth and the organizers deserve the credit for that. Packet pick-up is a breeze at the massive exhibition center, which also then is open before the race as a warm place to use restrooms and stretch out before walking a block to the starting point. The post-race food is the best I've ever experienced - chips, chocolate milk, fruit, pizza (Between this and the on-course food, a person could possibly run this race and gain weight). Parking is advertised on the race website from a parking garage sponsor at high prices, but ample and cheaper parking garages are available on race day just a couple blocks east of the finish line. They advertise the course as flat and the one minor hill that hits around mile 16 is more of an annoying bump than a hill. The on-course hydration stations are seemingly everywhere, most stocked with excellent Gatorade (not the watered-down stuff seen on many marathons). You also pass three candy stations, three gu stations, and several private groups (churches, neighborhood associations, etc) also handing out water or candy on their own. The event volunteers and traffic control were tremendous and very supportive. Although this is a big race, the new wave start kept things from being overly congested. My one big complaint is the lack of crowd support. Crowds are big at the start and finish, but mid-speed runners saw surprisingly few spectators on the last half of the race (50 degrees and off-and-on mist wasn't crowd friendly, but some of the neighborhoods were downright empty). Overall, Indy is a fast course and the race allows you to truly see and experience the city of Indianapolis.

Out of towner, who came in to run this as my fall marathon with another runner. Pros: Not a hill to be found, hardly a bump! Expo was very easy to get in and get out with what you need. Everything is located downtown (start, finish, expo, hotels, etc) so that makes the logistics of race morning a breeze. Mile markers very clearly marked, aid stations stocked, well defined course route. Weather couldn't have been better this year. About 45 to start, 55 to finish. Finish chute was easy to navigate after. Medal and t-shirt were okay for those that are big into these things. The mobile app was pretty cool and accurate. A true not for profit race, good job by the organizers! Cons: There was a ton of congestion in the first mile or two (Half Marathon goes with full until mile 7). I was in the 3:10 pace area and had to deal with a fair amount of congestion (there are a lot of turns in the beginning, which does not help with the crowds), however everyone that started a little bit farther back had to deal with the congestion a lot more than I. I get how this can be frustrating, I think a corral starting system would work wonders. Some of the roads are not closed to traffic. For example a four lane road has one lane specifically for runners with the other three open to traffic. Couple this with the size of this race, it's tough to squeeze so many runners into one single lane. Not so much an issue for the front of the pack, but once you get back into the 3:30+ finishes, this could be an issue. I've noticed a lot of the roads were pretty bumpy, maybe they were normal 'bumpiness' but this is the first time it has stood out to me in a race. Nothing the RD can do, but something I noticed nonetheless. Overall, great experience. If you're looking for a later fall marathon on a flat and fast course, here ya' go.

I ran this race for the first time in 2015 and again this year. Excellent weather conditions both times which obviously helps! Route is very scenic with all the monuments and just slightly rolling...a good course to PR on which I did both years. As others have stated, the biggest downfall is the start and the first few miles which are very congested. I believe implementing a wave start would help this tremendously. Otherwise it's a great experience.

Pros: good course/time of year for a PR. Can be choppy roads at places. The shirt was nice. Cons: Crowds are okay, but they are all silent. Literally no cheering most of the course, no high fives, was just lame all around. The organization of the start is abysmal. To have a corral system but no accountability, along with letting everyone go at once with no gap, made sure that slower people were ahead of faster people and it was very crowded for three miles. Medal was unimpressive. Overall it was fine, a fast course, but disappointing crowds, and a terrible start/corral system. I might run it again for convenience/weather, but not sure what all the hype is about.

This is a terrific race which can become a very significant annual event. Pros: The course is terrific. Very flat, pleasant visually. Spectators are very upbeat, support is very good. Amenities at the finish line are terrific. The 2016 T shirt is one of the best I've ever received. Cons: One and only one thing to work on ; start grid organization. I posted on this page about the 2015 race with similar concerns. Capitol Avenue is not wide enough to accommodate the surge of runners all crossing the start line. It was well into mile 5 before I was even close to finding enough space to get my pace. On this course, the organizers need to institute a wave start. Otherwise, a very good experience. Thanks to the organizers for listening.

Nice race, with a lot of water/Gatorade stops and THREE gel stops. The course has more small rolling hills than I expected, but nothing too big or too long so it was not bad. You also get to go to a beautiful YMCA to take a shower right away by showing your bib if you don't want to stay another night in a hotel. It's a little bit of a walk after running a marathon but glad to have it. Some of the pacers bonked, but that could happen anywhere. Very responsive to questions via email before race day, too. Spectators can be sparse in places, but that did not bother me. Runners were nice and talked to each other. Lots of BQ hopefuls in this race, it felt like. AND a bonus - this is a charity race so by running it, you are also giving back. That's AWESOME!

This was my second time running this race. The issues that I had last year (a few intersections that weren't patrolled and running out of gels) were corrected this year, but that could also be because I ran a much faster time as well. The new start route to the race did alleviate some of the congestion, but there is still a good bit of bottleneck at the beginning, but for such a large race, you have to expect it. The crowds were once again enthusiastic and made the race enjoyable. I moved to Indiana between the 2014 edition and this years race, so it was extra special to run my first marathon as an official Hoosier. Already training for 2016!